Should Cannabis Be Legalised in Australia - Essay Example

Cannabis Legislation in Australia (Insert Name of the Student) (Insert Name of the Student) (Insert Name of the Instructor) (Insert Name of the Course) (Insert Code of the Course) (Insert Submission Date) Introduction Legalisation of cannabis use in Australia draws contentious issues with pro and anti groups providing evidence supporting their cause. According to national cannabis prevention and information centre, cannabis use, possession, growing or selling it is illegal but the magnitude of the offence varies between different states and territory (2013). An offence would thus warrant a criminal proceeding with consequential imprisonment. Legalisation of cannabis would mean that it is no longer labelled as illicit and like tobacco and alcohol, it would not attract criminal or civil legal proceedings. Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, and Northern Territory states have however decriminalised cannabis offences. This means that offences to a certain limit will warrant a civil case and not a criminal case (Wayne, 1997, p. 1109). Despite the law prohibiting cannabis, evidence shows that more people are using it posing the question of effectiveness of the law. According to Wayne (2008, p. 712) Australia had the highest number of young people using cannabis in the 1990s among the developed world. In 1993, 65% of youth aged between 20-29 years had used cannabis a sharp increase from 22% in 1973 (Wayne, 1997, p. 1109). This paper will argue the advantages and disadvantages of legislating cannabis use in Australia and later indicate why it should be legalization in Australia. Advantages of legalisation Individuals advocating for legalisation of cannabis argue against the evidence that cannabis has more adverse effects to users compared to other drugs especially alcohol and cigarette. They argue that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, pulmonary and other heart related diseases yet it does not warrant criminalisation. Studies according to Wayne & Degenhardt (2006, p. 568) show that individual smoking 20 cigarettes and above have a lung cancer related risk of 12 compared to a psychosis related risk of 2 to 3 in cannabis users. This shows that cigarette smoking is far more harmful than cannabis. Pudney (2010, p. 165) asserts that consumption of everything in excess can cause harm. Too much carbohydrate food leads to obesity, excessive alcohol causes gout, and cigarette addiction leads to lung cancer. He even adds that speeding in cars leads to accidents and death risk is high. According to Wayne (1997, p. 1111) the proposers of legalisation argue that cannabis is a “deceptively dangerous” drug and its chronic use effects have been used to erroneously deceive the acute users. Therefore the effects of cannabis on the users is rather an emotive issue rather than factual and should therefore not be a basis for its illegality. Legalisation of cannabis will also contribute to the national income if it is commercialised for industrial use. The fibres of the hemp plant have been used to make paper, rope and fabric since ancient times. The US used the hemp fibres to make ship ropes and parachute canvas during the World War II. Hemp has been documented to have more advantages over timber when used in production of paper. The plant can produce four times the amount of paper that trees can were they grown for twenty years. An acre can also produce 10 fibre tonnes over a period of four months which is the maturation period. It also requires less herbicide and pesticide use since it is a dense growing crop that chokes weeds. Furthermore, hemp pulp requires less bleaching than timber pulp during paper production. Therefore, production and environmental benefits of hemp growing for paper production far outweigh those of timber (McDonald, Moore, Norberry, Wardlaw & Ballenden, 1994, p 94). Failure to legalise cannabis also limits advancement of the medical profession. The psychoactive ingredient, HTC found in cannabis has potential to treat nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. According to McDonald, Moore, Norberry, Wardlaw & Ballenden, (1994, p. 93) a study conducted in Royal Children Hospital Melbourne found that for cancer-ill children undergoing chemotherapy, HTC had anti-emetic effects. It has also been used in AIDS and epileptic patients to treat nausea and those suffering from chronic pain as a painkiller. Grispoon in McDonald, Moore, Norberry, Wardlaw & Ballenden (1994, p 93) asserts that failure to legalise cannabis presents doctors with the dilemma of using HTC on patients and losing their medical licence upon doing it. It also hinders potential patients from its therapeutic effects. The United Nations Convention binding Australia does not prohibit medicinal use of cannabis and neither does the Federal law in Australia. However its use has been limited by the all encompassing anti-legislation of the drug. The criminalisation of cannabis and the increasing demand for it as shown above has created a black market for the trade. This has led to emergence of criminal gangs whom are getting rich via the distribution of cannabis. This has increased the gang’s propensity to diversify into other illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine and using the profits to corrupt law enforcers. As per the 1991-1992 estimates, the police and judiciary system incurred an expense of $329 million in prosecution of cannabis law offenders (Wayne, 1997, p. 1111). This is a huge amount for a single cause and yet the effects of the law act against it as evidenced by the statistics of use. National estimates indicate that there are approximately 125-426 people serving jail terms at any time (Wayne, 1997, p. 1110). It is argued that the youth offenders serving jail terms are at a risk of losing or derailing their careers for the simple use of the drug and not necessarily for violent crimes. The police have also been tasked with their discriminatory approach to cannabis offenders. They prosecute those individuals who are unemployed, unskilled and male. Wayne (1997, p 1114) proposes the legislation of marijuana with the view that it will eventually lead to low use especially among the youths who statistics show are the majority users. According to him, when the youths turn into adulthood, they lose their preference for the drug and its use becomes unfashionable. There has been health education to the public on the adverse health effects of alcohol and tobacco and there is decline in tobacco use in the general population. Therefore, rather than criminalising cannabis use, the government should do conclusive research on the health effects and then educate the public. Disadvantages of legalisation Those opposing legislation of cannabis mostly argue on the basis of its adverse health risks especially cannabis induced psychosis. According to Wayne & Degenhardt (2006, p. 567) studies have shown individuals who use cannabis are reported to have a higher chance of psychotic problems and psychosis diagnosis than those who have never used it. They also point out that these risks increase with user frequency and how early the individual started using cannabis in life. Individuals with a history of psychosis in their family are at an even higher risk if they use cannabis. The Australian Mental Health Council estimates “3.4% of the population or 700,000 Australians would develop a dependence on cannabis at some point in their lives.” (Jenkins & Rebecca, 2006, p. 1). There is also evidence on cannabis users being prone to other drug use such as cocaine and heroin. According to Wayne (2005, p. 40) a study conducted in the US by Kandel in 1984 shows that American youth who had used cannabis and other illicit drugs were 33% as opposed to 7% who used illicit drug without using cannabis. The figure rose to 84% among daily users at the time of the study. Wayne adds that the same applies to Australian youth. Conclusion The arguments against legislation of cannabis seem too emotional than factual. The evidence presented is not conclusive enough to warrant illegalisation. The psychosis effect alleged is from chronic use of which even the legal drugs such as alcohol and drugs have adverse health effects on chronic users. The medicinal benefits however outweigh the ill effects. Cancer and AIDS have become prevalent in the recent years and with cannabis having positive effects on the patients, there is no substantive evidence as to why it should be illegal. Recently debate on global warming is rife and individuals are encouraged to maintain the environment by going green. As is evidenced from the essay, hemp can be used in paper production more profitably than trees. It requires less chemical input in cultivation and also reduces the pressure on cutting down trees. This is a plus economically as well as environmentally. Legalisation will also reduce the prevalence in criminal gangs as a result of black market trade. The government can instead make it legal and charge taxation on its production and sale which is an economic incentive. From the positive results of the campaign against tobacco, it is right to assert that education has far reaching effects against drug use than criminalisation. Based on this evidence, cannabis should be legalised. References Jenkins & Rebecca 2006, ‘Call to arms over cannabis’, Trade Journals, Vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 10-13. McDonald, D, Moore, R, Norberry, J, Wardlaw, G, & Ballenden, N 1994, ‘Legislative options for cannabis use in Australia’, Health ROM, Vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 1-96. National cannabis prevention and Information Centre 2011, cannabis and the law, Randwick, viewed 5 May 2013, . Pudney, S 2010, ‘Drugs policy: what should we do about cannabis?’, Economic Policy, Vol. 25, no. 61, pp. 165-211. Wayne, DH 2008, ‘The contribution of research to the development of a national cannabis policy in Australia’, Addiction, vol. 103, no. 1, pp. 712-720. Wayne, H & Degenhardt, L 2006, ‘What are the policy implications of the evidence on cannabis and psychosis’, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 51, no. 9, pp. 566-574. Wayne, DH & Lynskey, M 2005, ‘Is cannabis a getaway drug? Testing hypothesis about the relationship between cannabis use and use of other illicit drugs’, Drug and Alcohol Review, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 39-48. Wayne, H 1997, ‘The recent Australian debate about the prohibition on cannabis use’, Addiction, Vol. 9, no. 29, pp. 1109-1115. Read More